Power control system and method

• US 20090204837A1
• Filed: 02/11/2008
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Chafekar, Shailendra, Raval, Udaykumar, Williams, Scott Alan, Frid, Aleksandr
• Application Number:
  US12/069,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20090204837A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

An efficient and effective power control system method are described with expedited recovery from a reduced power state. In one embodiment, a present invention power control system includes performing a reduced power detection process for detecting a reduced power state, wherein the reduced power state is associated with an expedited recovery; performing a reduced power state entry process; performing a recovery detection process for detecting a recover indication event; and performing an expedited recovery process in accordance with detection of a recovery indication event. The reduced power state entry process comprises saving an expedited recovery information in registers of an always on domain and putting an external memory in self refresh mode to preserve a system context while a chip is turned off. The expedited recovery process comprises determining whether to proceed with the expedited recovery process; initializing memory controller registers and directing memory controller to exit self refresh; validating system context recovered from memory using keys stored in an always on domain; jumping to recovery instructions in memory; restoring operating system information and returning to operating system control.

Claims

1. A power control method comprising:

performing a reduced power detection process for detecting a reduced power state, wherein said reduced power state is associated with an expedited recovery;

performing a reduced power state entry process;

performing a reduced power state entry process; and

performing an expedited recovery process in accordance with detection of a recovery indication event.

2. A power control method of claim 1 wherein said power control method is operating system agnostic.

3. A power control method of claim 1 wherein said reduced power detection process comprises:

collecting status of different peripherals in a system by a central resource manager module;

instrumenting a scheduler idle loop to determine a system idle condition status by checking with said central resource management module; and

deciding to enter a reduce power state based upon a time for a next operating system tick and said system idle condition status.

4. A power control method of claim 1 wherein said reduced power state entry process comprises:

saving expedited recovery information in registers of an always on domain; and

putting a DRAM in self refresh mode to preserve a system context while a chip is turned off.

5. A power control method of claim 4 wherein said expedited recovery information comprises a reduced power state recover indication, system context information, a recovery code address indication, and recovery code validation information.

6. A power control method of claim 3 wherein said system context information comprises CPU status information, peripheral status information and other component information associated with restoring a system to a state to continue operations in an orderly sequence after powering up from said reduced power state.

7. A power control method of claim 1 wherein said expedited recovery process comprises:

determining whether to proceed with said expedited recovery process;

initialize memory controller registers and directing memory controller to exit self refresh;

validating system context recovered from memory using keys stored in an always on domain;

jumping to recovery instructions in memory; and

restoring operating system information and returning to operating system control.

8. A power control method of claim 7 wherein said determining whether to proceed with said expedited recovery process comprises:

checking an expedited recovery indication in an always on domain; and

proceeding with said expedited recovery process if said expedited recovery indication is set.

9. A power control method of claim 7 wherein said restoring operating system information comprises restoring processor and peripheral register information for interaction with the operating system in a state corresponding to last operational state before power reduction.

10. A power control method of claim 7 wherein said proceeding with said expedited recovery process includes indicating an expedited recovery transition to a central resource management module.

11. A power control system comprising:

an always on domain for storing information associated with initiation of an expedited recovery from a reduced power state; and

a power management unit for directing said expedited recovery from said reduced power state based upon an indication from said always on component.

12. A power control system of claim 11 where said information associated with initiation of an expedited recovery from a reduced power state includes a warm boot flag, a pointer to recovery code, recovery code validation information, pointer to context, context validation information, memory controller configuration, phase lock loop frequency and settling time, and power management unit safe voltage and worst case delay.

13. A power control system of claim 12 wherein said context information includes processor and peripheral register information for interaction with the operating system in a state corresponding to last operational state before power reduction

14. A power control system of claim 11 further comprising a boot ROM for storing a portion of instructions associated with said expedited recovery from said reduced power sate.

15. A power control system of claim 11 further comprising a memory for storing full expedited recovery information in a self refresh mode and forwarding said information to a resource management module in response to said initiation of said expedited recovery from said reduced power state.

16. A power control system of claim 15 wherein said memory is a DRAM for storing a portion of instructions associated with said expedited recovery from said reduced power sate, said DRAM entering a self refresh state upon entry of said reduced power state.

17. A power control method comprising:

setting a power state indicator to an idle value;

alternating between idle state associated with said idle value and active states based on power client requests;

determining if it is safe to enter a reduced power state based on said power sate indicator;

changing said power sate indicator value base upon entry to a reduced power state; and

exiting said reduced power state.

18. A power control method of claim 17 further comprising:

setting active power state; and

forwarding a wake event signal to other registered power clients.

19. A power control method of claim 17 wherein upon entry to said reduced power state changing said power state indicator to correspond to said reduced power state.

20. A power control method of claim 17 wherein said power state indicator indicates if a system is in a full power state or an expedited recovery full power state mode.